1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an encryption system, particularly an encryption system for two-dimensional data, such as image data. Specifically, the invention involves encrypting two-dimensional data by multiple encryption passes through the data, wherein in each pass, each mth row and each nth column of data is encrypted, and wherein for each encryption pass m and n are randomly selected.
2. Description of the Related Art
With increasing use of electronic communication systems such as computerized electronic mail ("E-mail") or facsimile transmissions, there is renewed interest in encryption systems to preserve the confidentiality and security of those communications. Many encryption techniques have been proposed and are now in use, but efforts are continuously being made to increase the ease of encrypting data as well as the difficulty in deciphering the encrypted data.
Encrypting systems which scramble the order of letters and characters on an original document are well known in the communication art. Such systems are similar in their objects to the data encrypter of the present invention, but are quite different in structure and the method of operation.